Politics In Sports: IPL Fixing Scandal, Colossal Greed And BCCI!

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On his way back home yesterday from a five-day Japan-Thailand visit the Prime Minister of India, when asked to comment on the IPL Spot Fixing Scandal, said that politics should not be mixed with sports. And exactly the contrary is happening since yesterday. This time the politicking in sports is not perpetrated by politicians, but by the officials of the prime sports body, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) including its tainted Chief N Srinivasan whose colossal greed has been demonstrated graphically over the last few days in his desperate bid to stick to his position of power, money and clout. 

Late last night the No.2 and No.3 of BCCI had tendered their resignations expressing deep hurt over the raging IPL Spot Fixing scandal that has brought a bad name to the Board. They are Sanjay Jagdale, the Secretary of the BCCI, and the Treasurer Ajay Shirke who had been the very first from the BCCI to break the silence over the issue. Their action further increased the already mounting pressure on N Srinivasan to resign. Reports were rife that resignations of the five Vice Presidents including the BJP Leader of Opposition in the upper house of the Indian Parliament, Arun Jaitley, Shivlal Yadav, Niranjan Shah, and IPL Chairman cum Congress Minister Rajeev Shukla would be coming anytime. In fact, Arun Jaitley today made it clear that something huge should be expected in the next twenty four hours. Just after that an emergency meeting of the BCCI working committee was announced to be held tomorrow in Chennai. With the richest cricket Board of the world on the verge of a collapse for the first time in history the lobbying and politics started.

The BCCI working committee has 31 members including the President Narayanswamy Srinivasan. For ousting the President three-fourth of the members, that is 24, must vote favorably. Srinivasan reportedly has the support of 8 members and this has provided him the lobbying and politicking plank. This has made him set four ridiculous conditions for a possible resignation tomorrow—1. He must still be allowed to represent India at the ICC (see he still wants to represent ‘India’!), 2. No outsider to be allowed to become the interim President (because the name of former BCCI boss Shashank Manohar was in circulation), 3. He must be allowed to elect his Secretary and Treasurer and 4. Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke cannot come back to BCCI. Every condition reeks of arrogance, corruption, power-craziness and colossal greed. Reports say that the BCCI is not going to accept these conditions. However, it must first somehow ensure the required support to oust its Chief.

On this Black Friday for Indian Cricket and BCCI there were other happenings too. The police custody of Gurunath Meiyappan and Vindo Dara Singh along with two bookies was extended to 3rd of June by a Mumbai court. Mumbai Police has asked for the police custody of the super bookie Ashwini Aggarwal alias Tinku Mandi arrested by Delhi Police earlier and accordingly Tinku Mandi was brought to the crime branch of Mumbai Police yesterday for questioning. The Chennai connection Victor alias Vikram Aggarwal was also brought to Mumbai for questioning his link to Gurunath. While a Mumbai court today gave police custody to Tinku Mandi till 6th of June, Victor was yet to be arrested by Mumbai Police.

Sunday tomorrow is going to be another huge day for the BCCI and the IPL Spot Fixing Scandal. And of course, for Indian Cricket.

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